Zimbabwe is still years away from reintroducing its own currency. In 2014, it started minting small denominations coins for purchases worth less than $1.

"We didn't have U.S. dollar coins so change was given in sweets or pens," Mangudya said.

For each coin in circulation, there's an equivalent U.S. dollar held in reserves - just like the days of the gold standard. Now there are $10 million in so-called bond coins circulating in the country.

The coins are minted in South Africa because Zimbabwe's printing presses have been mothballed.